Leader to Leader

Friday, February 8, 2008

THE REAL BILL CLINTON

Editorial was in the Trentonian Thursday, Jan. 31, 2008THE REAL BILL CLINTON/ NO FIRST BLACK PRESIDENT

William Jefferson Bill Clinton. A stand up guy. Right? After all, he does play the saxophone. Why would one look further than that? The mainstream media has got it all covered.... Or do they?

All too often the American people are spoon fed opinions by that same mainstream media. This causes the people to have flawed impressions of public and other noteworthy figures. Such is the case with former president Bill Clinton.

While what most people might remember about Mr. Clinton’s shady past is the Monica Lewinsky fiasco, there is much more than meets the eye. Here is a short list to refresh our memory:

Bill Clinton’s recent attack on Barack Obama and his presidential campaign, which many people consider racially charged, referring to Obama as a kid, and his campaign as a fairy tale.

1992 - During the presidential campaign, then-Gov. Clinton flew home to Arkansas to oversee the execution of Rickey Ray Rector, a 40-year-old black man convicted of killing a black police officer. After shooting the cop, Rector shot himself in the head, surviving but severely damaging his brain. Though shown to be mentally incompetent, Clinton allowed Rector's execution to proceed. In the final days of his presidency, Clinton would indeed commute one death sentence, but the Rector execution was later used in the '92 campaign to show how "tough on crime" Clinton was.

The 1994 crime bill contributed to the massive incarceration boom. According to the Department of Justice, under Clinton, the U.S. prison population swelled to nearly 2 million--with Blacks being the main victims. This bill introduced the ¡°three strikes and you re out law, and stiffened sentences for drug offenders. Clinton further stiffened the drug laws for those living in housing projects to one strike, using the lame justification that, ¡°public housing is a privilege; abuse it and you re out.

The incarceration rate for Blacks increased from about 3,000 per 100,000 to 3,620 per 100,000 during his administration; that’s from 1 in 4 to 1 in 3.

Considering the aforementioned bill, that he did nothing about mandatory minimum sentences is no surprise; that he did nothing to change the disparity between sentences for crack and powder cocaine is no surprise; that he stumped for restrictions on habeas corpus, and expansion of the death penalty are no surprise.

Clinton not only refused to intervene in over 1 million people being hacked to death in Rwanda, but even declined to convene his cabinet discuss the crisis.

Too many burnt bridges for the so-called "black president."Whether or not Guinier was the right nominee, regardless of the circumstances in the Rector case and aside from welfare reform politics, Clinton, in each case, sold blacks down the river - and without giving us a paddle. And we still love him so much.But, at the height of the Monica Lewinsky scandal, Clinton expected blacks to line up right behind him. And many did. And what happened to the apology for slavery he wanted so much? He left that issue on the political chopping block after wrangling from the opposition. So, blacks continue to sacrifice themselves for Clinton while he sacrifices us in the process?Doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

It’s quite amazing that Hillary Clinton would so confidently parade her husband around, as if he has the kind of record one should be proud of. One would think, considering the above, she would rather wish him stay as far away as possible. But perhaps she understands what the mainstream media understands.

Author and social commentator Michael Eric Dyson, a professor of religious studies at Georgetown University in D.C., sums up a more accurate portrait of Clinton and his "bond" with blacks.

"Bill Clinton exploited us like no president before him," he said. "He exploited black sentiment because he knew the rituals of black culture."Well, shouldn't he? After all, he is "one of us."

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Daryl Mikell Brooks

Daryl Mikell Brooks

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About Me

I am here today to ask your support in this good race, to stand with me as we demand a better, more equitable, just and peaceful world. I am here to ask you to stand with me as we roll up our sleeves to do the work that is needed to make such a dream a reality.

Brooks At T.A.S.K

IRAQ BRING TROOPS HOME NOW!!!!!

Daryl Mikell Brooks believes that we should keep pushing for a positive outcome in Iraq, while preparing for a handoff. He believes that we should tell the Iraqis that we are not pulling out immediately, but neither are we staying indefinitely. The Iraqis must build up their army and police forces, because the day is coming when Iraqis must take charge of Iraq.

Our mission in Iraq has been plagued from the start by poor intelligence, poor planning for the post-war, and a disdain for the advice of our allies and our own military leaders. The Army's chief of staff was ignored, and too few troops were deployed. The Administration failed to foresee the insurgency that followed the war, and many of our servicemen and women who were deployed were not properly equipped with body armor or armored vehicles. Troops were forced to improvise in the field and assigned to duty for which they were not trained. These and other errors in judgment have cost us casualties and made the insurgency more intractable.

What should we do? First, we must supply our troops in Iraq with everything they need to suppress the insurgency and secure the country. Second, we must step up the training of Iraqi security forces – army, border guards, building guards, police and special counter-terrorism units – so that we can turn over to Iraqis the responsibility for securing their own country. Third, we should help the Iraqi forces protect themselves through the provision of better armor and smarter security where recruits gather. Fourth, we must assist Iraqis in forming a functioning representative government, in which all ethnic groups have a voice. And fifth, we must enlist greater allied assistance in protecting Iraq 's borders and preventing the infiltration of foreign terrorists.

Brooks, Harry Belafonte and Rev. Al Sampson

More and Better jobs

JOBS & TRADE

Jobs & TradeGood jobs and fair trade are the bottom line of a nation's prosperity, and that prosperity is how we pay for the defense of our ideals. Many communities in New Jersey and across America have been hit hard by unfair trade policies and conservative legislation that have made it increasingly attractive for businesses to pack up and move out of the country with the federal government's blessings and tax relief support. This has placed many talented, trained, and dedicated workers on the unemployment rolls almost overnight. The President's tax cuts to the wealthiest one-and-a-half percent of this country have crippled the ability of social services programs to provide aid to our neighbors, friends, and relatives when they need it most. Our current trade policies need to be amended to allow fair trade and protect the workforce of America. Any future legislation needs to consider foremost the impact it will have on the welfare of all Americans.

Full-time workers should have the right to earn a living wage and we must pass fair trade initiatives to protect them. We must change trade and tax policies to favor and reward businesses that create jobs in the US, especially in the awarding of government contracts, while doing all we can to discourage businesses that outsource or set up offshore addresses to avoid paying taxes. We must also create a favorable environment for small businesses even as we correct our corporate welfare policies.

New Jersey must develop incentive packages, better infrastructure, and a dedicated workforce to position itself to lobby immediately for new business and to encourage existing employers to expand their operations within New Jersey. We have some of the largest Pharmaceutical research companies in the nation in our own backyard. By creating a favorable environment for the development of service, manufacturing, and satellite office communities, we can make the most of this natural advantage.

We should also plan for the future by encouraging investment in businesses focused on new energy technologies and renewable energy resources. Manufacturing, transport, and application of these technologies for New Jersey and the Nations can certainly be developed here, while agriculture can benefit from producing biofuel and ethanol products.

Technical training and support-service education can be administered through the community college system. Online education and support will provide even greater access, which will expand the capabilities of the community college system, cementing its role in every community.

ENVIROMENT

EnvironmentAmerica's promise will not mean much if our environment is not secure. The international community of climate scientists believe the evidence for global warming is "unequivocal" and that human activity is the likely cause. A report released recently by some of our top retired military leaders warns that the result of climate changes from global warming will pose a "serious threat to America's national security." If our environment is not secure, neither are we. This is a moral issue as much as it is a security issue. Can we afford to bet our children's future on the consequences of inaction? The time to act is now.

We must invest in a new energy economy that reduces our dependence on foreign oil and other non-renewable resources that are polluting our environment. By encouraging the development of renewable, non-polluting energy sources, we can create new business and job opportunities in New jersey that stimulate the economy even as we move towards securing our energy independence and the environment.

We must take steps to conserve energy and manage its use more efficiently and effectively. We must work to reduce and cap greenhouse gas pollution and plan for the future.

Because pollution anywhere can potentially create problems everywhere, we must lead the way in formulating a new international treaty on climate change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on a global scale.